In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), the transmission of nerve impulses is controlled by the interaction between a neurotransmitter, that is released by a sending neuron, and a surface receptor on a receiving neuron, which causes excitation of this receiving neuron. L-Glutamate, which is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the CNS, mediates the major excitatory pathway in mammals, and is referred to as an excitatory amino acid (EAA). The receptors that respond to glutamate are called excitatory amino acid receptors (EAA receptors). See Watkins & Evans, Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 21, 165 (1981); Monaghan, Bridges, and Cotman, Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 29, 365 (1989); Watkins, Krogsgaard-Larsen, and Honore, Trans. Pharm. Sci., 11, 25 (1990). The excitatory amino acids are of great physiological importance, playing a role in a variety of physiological processes, such as long-term potentiation (learning and memory), the development of synaptic plasticity, motor control, respiration, cardiovascular regulation, and sensory perception.
Excitatory amino acid receptors are classified into two general types. Receptors that are directly coupled to the opening of cation channels in the cell membrane of the neurons are termed "ionotropic." This type of receptor has been subdivided into at least three subtypes, which are defined by the depolarizing actions of the selective agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA), and kainic acid (KA). The second general type of receptor is the G-protein or second messenger-linked "metabotropic" excitatory amino acid receptor. This second type is coupled to multiple second messenger systems that lead to enhanced phosphoinositide hydrolysis, activation of phospholipase D, increases or decreases in cAMP formation, and changes in ion channel function. Schoepp and Conn, Trends in Pharmacol. Sci., 14, 13 (1993). Both types of receptors appear not only to mediate normal synaptic transmission along excitatory pathways, but also participate in the modification of synaptic connections during development and throughout life. Schoepp, Bockaert, and Sladeczek, Trends in Pharmacol. Sci., 11, 508 (1990); McDonald and Johnson, Brain Research Reviews, 15, 41 (1990).
The excessive or inappropriate stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptors leads to neuronal cell damage or loss by way of a mechanism known as excitotoxicity. This process has been suggested to mediate neuronal degeneration in a variety of conditions. The medical consequences of such neuronal degeneration makes the abatement of these degenerative neurological processes an important therapeutic goal.
The metabotropic glutamate receptors are a highly heterogeneous family of glutamate receptors that are linked to multiple second-messenger pathways. These receptors function to modulate the presynaptic release of glutamate, and the postsynaptic sensitivity of the neuronal cell to glutamate excitation. Antagonists of these receptors are useful for the treatment of acute and chronic neurodegenerative conditions, and as antipsychotic, anticonvulsant, analgesic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, and anti-emetic agents.